On April 25, the day that Harvey Weinstein’s New York sexual assault conviction was overturned, those who had been most vocal in the months following the former mogul’s implosion in 2017 were conspicuously silent. The X account of Time’s Up, the organization that raised $26 million in the wake of the Weinstein accusations, appeared to be a relic frozen in time. Its last post, from January 2022, was a retweet of a Movement for Black Lives missive about Martin Luther King Jr. Likewise, actresses who had embraced Time’s Up’s mission offered no commentary. Jessica Chastain was tweeting about her skin care routine, while Reese Witherspoon was gushing about a Tennessee Titans draft pick. It was as though Hollywood had already moved on from the industrywide reckoning that Weinstein’s downfall sparked.
By contrast, those with a personal stake in Weinstein’s fate — such as attorney Gloria Allred, who represented key...
By contrast, those with a personal stake in Weinstein’s fate — such as attorney Gloria Allred, who represented key...
- 5/1/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
'The Great Gatsby' Stars Jeremy Jordan & Eva Noblezada Ride a Vintage Car to Broadway Opening Night!
Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada arrived at the opening night performance of Broadway’s The Great Gatsby in style!
The co-stars rode in the back of a vintage car, just like the one in the show, while arriving at the Broadway Theatre on Thursday night (April 25) in New York City.
Jeremy and Eva were joined on the red carpet by co-stars Noah J Ricketts, Samantha Pauly, Sara Chase, John Zdrojeski, Eric Anderson, and Paul Whitty.
Also in attendance at the event were Jeremy‘s wife Ashley Spencer and Eva‘s longtime partner Reeve Carney.
The Great Gatsby is a stage adaptation of the classic novel of the same name starring Jeremy as Jay Gatsby and Eva as Daisy Buchanan. Make sure to watch the music video of their song “For Her/My Green Light.”
Get your tickets now to see The Great Gatsby on Broadway.
The co-stars rode in the back of a vintage car, just like the one in the show, while arriving at the Broadway Theatre on Thursday night (April 25) in New York City.
Jeremy and Eva were joined on the red carpet by co-stars Noah J Ricketts, Samantha Pauly, Sara Chase, John Zdrojeski, Eric Anderson, and Paul Whitty.
Also in attendance at the event were Jeremy‘s wife Ashley Spencer and Eva‘s longtime partner Reeve Carney.
The Great Gatsby is a stage adaptation of the classic novel of the same name starring Jeremy as Jay Gatsby and Eva as Daisy Buchanan. Make sure to watch the music video of their song “For Her/My Green Light.”
Get your tickets now to see The Great Gatsby on Broadway.
- 4/25/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Venice Golden Lion Winner Poor Things is here with Searchlight Pictures sewing up nine theaters in four major markets for leg one of the Emma Stone-starring surreal-period-comedy-horror.
The film debuts in NYC and LA as well as San Francisco and Austin (Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar). Lanthimos, Stone and stars Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe join Q&As in New York and tickets have been selling out. Stone hosted SNL last Saturday, joining the exclusive “five-timers club”, and made stops in recent days at Good Morning America, Sunday Today and ABC News Live Prime to talk up the fantastical tale.
Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman mysteriously brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) who lives as the doctor’s ward.
The film debuts in NYC and LA as well as San Francisco and Austin (Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar). Lanthimos, Stone and stars Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe join Q&As in New York and tickets have been selling out. Stone hosted SNL last Saturday, joining the exclusive “five-timers club”, and made stops in recent days at Good Morning America, Sunday Today and ABC News Live Prime to talk up the fantastical tale.
Stone plays Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman mysteriously brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) who lives as the doctor’s ward.
- 12/8/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2016 Tony Awards were something of a rout: With its 11 wins, Hamilton was the only new musical to take home any trophies at all. But it wasn’t the only Broadway smash of the season. Waitress, the smaller-scale, utterly lovely adaptation of writer-director Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film, ran for nearly four years, finally closing in January 2020.
Like Hamilton, Waitress’s composer-lyricist would come to also star in the production: Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles appeared for three short stints in the lead role, causing the box office to surge each time. When theaters reopened, so, too, did Waitress, in a limited remounting in late 2021, designed in part to allow the cameras to capture Bareilles’s performance. This film was no doubt inspired by the artistic and commercial success of Hamilton’s “pro-shot,” as official films of stage performances have come to be known in the theater community.
As a film, this pro-shot...
Like Hamilton, Waitress’s composer-lyricist would come to also star in the production: Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles appeared for three short stints in the lead role, causing the box office to surge each time. When theaters reopened, so, too, did Waitress, in a limited remounting in late 2021, designed in part to allow the cameras to capture Bareilles’s performance. This film was no doubt inspired by the artistic and commercial success of Hamilton’s “pro-shot,” as official films of stage performances have come to be known in the theater community.
As a film, this pro-shot...
- 12/3/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Boy George will join the cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway in February.
George will play the role of Harold Zidler, the club owner of the Moulin Rouge, starting Feb. 6 through May 12. He announced the news on the Today show Monday, saying that he had already seen the show a few times and was excited to join the show’s ensemble and learn about “fitting in” to the show, which has been running on Broadway since 2019.
While George is best known as the lead singer of Culture Club, whose hits include “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon,” he has previously appeared on Broadway in his 2003 musical, Taboo. The musical, which also featured a score by George, told the story of George’s rise to fame through the club scene of London in the 1970s and 1980s.
The role of Zidler is currently being played by Tituss Burgess,...
George will play the role of Harold Zidler, the club owner of the Moulin Rouge, starting Feb. 6 through May 12. He announced the news on the Today show Monday, saying that he had already seen the show a few times and was excited to join the show’s ensemble and learn about “fitting in” to the show, which has been running on Broadway since 2019.
While George is best known as the lead singer of Culture Club, whose hits include “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon,” he has previously appeared on Broadway in his 2003 musical, Taboo. The musical, which also featured a score by George, told the story of George’s rise to fame through the club scene of London in the 1970s and 1980s.
The role of Zidler is currently being played by Tituss Burgess,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Culture Club singer Boy George will return to Broadway in February after a 20-year absence to play a limited engagement in the hit musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Boy George, born George O’Dowd, will play the role of Harold Zidler at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre from Tuesday, February 6, 2024, through Sunday, May 12, 2024.
The Zidler character is the owner of the Moulin Rouge! nightclub and serves as a de facto emcee in the musical. The role was originated on Broadway by Danny Burstein, and is currently played by Tituss Burgess through Sunday, December 17. Eric Anderson returns to the role December 19 through February 4.
Boy George was last on Broadway in the short-lived Taboo, the musical about the fashionable London nightclub Taboo of the 1980s. Boy George wrote the music and lyrics and portrayed nightlife icon Leigh Bowery.
Tituss Burgess as Harold Zidler
As lead singer of the ’80s band Culture Club, Boy...
Boy George, born George O’Dowd, will play the role of Harold Zidler at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre from Tuesday, February 6, 2024, through Sunday, May 12, 2024.
The Zidler character is the owner of the Moulin Rouge! nightclub and serves as a de facto emcee in the musical. The role was originated on Broadway by Danny Burstein, and is currently played by Tituss Burgess through Sunday, December 17. Eric Anderson returns to the role December 19 through February 4.
Boy George was last on Broadway in the short-lived Taboo, the musical about the fashionable London nightclub Taboo of the 1980s. Boy George wrote the music and lyrics and portrayed nightlife icon Leigh Bowery.
Tituss Burgess as Harold Zidler
As lead singer of the ’80s band Culture Club, Boy...
- 11/6/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
How ‘Rustin’ and Native Son Teamed to Reclaim the Civil Rights Activist’s History as a Rallying Call
A handful of hours before George C. Wolfe’s Rustin would make its New York premiere as NewFest’s opening night selection on Oct. 12, more than 100 Black queer members of the Native Son collective gathered in The Chelsea Hotel’s Lobby Bar, drinks in hand and under a golden aura of light, dipping in and out of excited conversation.
“It’s really emotional for me,” Native Son founder Emil Wilbekin told The Hollywood Reporter. “Coming into this room and seeing all these beautiful Black queer men — who are legends, icons, mentors, new in their careers — you can feel the joy and love because we don’t have spaces like this.”
Coordinated in conjunction with Netflix, the Rustin film team and Native Son — a collective of Black gay and queer men focused on elevating the voices, visibility and lived experiences of their community — the gathering counted Rustin producer Bruce Cohen and...
“It’s really emotional for me,” Native Son founder Emil Wilbekin told The Hollywood Reporter. “Coming into this room and seeing all these beautiful Black queer men — who are legends, icons, mentors, new in their careers — you can feel the joy and love because we don’t have spaces like this.”
Coordinated in conjunction with Netflix, the Rustin film team and Native Son — a collective of Black gay and queer men focused on elevating the voices, visibility and lived experiences of their community — the gathering counted Rustin producer Bruce Cohen and...
- 10/20/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With more than 1,500 performances during its initial 2016-2020 Broadway run, and a subsequent three-month post-Covid-shutdown remount, Waitress: The Musical baked its way into the hearts of theatergoers, and in December folks who didn’t make it to New York City will get a chance to see what the fuss was about: Bleecker Street and Fathom Events have set nationwide special-event screenings for five nights only beginning December 7.
Bleecker and Fathom released a trailer today. Watch it above.
Starring composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles as small-town waitress and pie-maker Jenna Hunterson, the musical, with book by Jessie Nelson, is based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly. Synopsis: When a baking contest in a nearby county offers Jenna a chance at escape a loveless marriage, the expert baker fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself, and through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, begins to find the...
Bleecker and Fathom released a trailer today. Watch it above.
Starring composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles as small-town waitress and pie-maker Jenna Hunterson, the musical, with book by Jessie Nelson, is based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly. Synopsis: When a baking contest in a nearby county offers Jenna a chance at escape a loveless marriage, the expert baker fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself, and through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, begins to find the...
- 10/19/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
"When there's a whisk, there's a way." Bleecker Street has revealed an official trailer for the film version of the hit Broadway show Waitress: The Musical, which is coming to movie theaters nationwide in early December. Based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly (and starring Keri Russell), the Waitress musical was one of the longest-running shows in recent Broadway history, playing a total of more than 1500 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. It first opened in Broadway in 2016. The show returned for a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre to celebrate Broadway's re-opening in the fall of 2021. The Broadway show stars Sara Bareilles (who also wrote the music & lyrics) as Jenna, who's joined by Drew Gehling, Charity Dawson, Dakin Matthews, Christopher Fitzgerald, Eric Anderson, and Anastacia McCleskey. Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married small-town pie baker with big dreams. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls...
- 10/19/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Tony-nominated Waitress arrives in theaters on December 7, 2023 to kick off a five-day series of screenings. Starring composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles, the Broadway musical is based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film that starred Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, and Jeremy Sisto.
The production entered the record books as the first Broadway musical with a top creative team comprised of four women – book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Diane Paulus. Opening in 2016, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre hosted 1,500+ performances of the musical, making it one of the longest-running shows in recent history.
Bareilles says Waitress changed her life, and composing the music was a gift.
“The film is funny and dark and feminine and irreverent and emotional and so very, very musical,” said Bareilles, recalling watching Shelly’s film for the first time. “I found a piece of myself in each of these...
The production entered the record books as the first Broadway musical with a top creative team comprised of four women – book by Jessie Nelson, music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Diane Paulus. Opening in 2016, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre hosted 1,500+ performances of the musical, making it one of the longest-running shows in recent history.
Bareilles says Waitress changed her life, and composing the music was a gift.
“The film is funny and dark and feminine and irreverent and emotional and so very, very musical,” said Bareilles, recalling watching Shelly’s film for the first time. “I found a piece of myself in each of these...
- 10/19/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Following its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s “Waitress: The Musical,” which is set for a nationwide release on Dec. 7, the studio announced Wednesday.
“Waitress: The Musical” will transform the Tony-nominated production to the big screen for audiences. Bareilles stars as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie maker who finds herself stuck in a small town and loveless marriage. However, when Jenna gets the opportunity to take part in a baking contest outside of her town, she leaps at the chance to change her life.
Alongside Bareilles, “Waitress” stars Eric Anderson, Charity Angél Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Drew Gehling, Caitlin Houlahan, Dakin Matthews and Joe Tippett. Michael Roiff, Barry and Fran Weissler, Bareilles, Nelson, and Paul Morphos serve as producers, with Alecia Parker as an executive producer.
The musical was one of the longest-running shows in recent Broadway history,...
“Waitress: The Musical” will transform the Tony-nominated production to the big screen for audiences. Bareilles stars as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pie maker who finds herself stuck in a small town and loveless marriage. However, when Jenna gets the opportunity to take part in a baking contest outside of her town, she leaps at the chance to change her life.
Alongside Bareilles, “Waitress” stars Eric Anderson, Charity Angél Dawson, Christopher Fitzgerald, Drew Gehling, Caitlin Houlahan, Dakin Matthews and Joe Tippett. Michael Roiff, Barry and Fran Weissler, Bareilles, Nelson, and Paul Morphos serve as producers, with Alecia Parker as an executive producer.
The musical was one of the longest-running shows in recent Broadway history,...
- 9/6/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to the filmed capture of Sara Bareilles’ Waitress: The Musical.
The film, which made its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, was captured in 2021, during the musical’s run on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Bareilles, who wrote the score to the musical, alongside a book by Jessie Nelson, also stars in the lead role.
Waitress: The Musical is scheduled to be released Dec. 7, 2023, in partnership with Fathom Events. This is the second partnership between Bleecker Street, the studio behind the upcoming Meg Ryan film, What Happens Later, and Fathom Events, after Guy Nattiv’s Golda, which was released with Fathom on August 23 in advance of its wider theatrical release. Bleecker Street is also behind the upcoming films Jules starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Mafia Mamma starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci.
Fathom has previously released other filmed musicals, including Bandstand,...
The film, which made its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, was captured in 2021, during the musical’s run on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Bareilles, who wrote the score to the musical, alongside a book by Jessie Nelson, also stars in the lead role.
Waitress: The Musical is scheduled to be released Dec. 7, 2023, in partnership with Fathom Events. This is the second partnership between Bleecker Street, the studio behind the upcoming Meg Ryan film, What Happens Later, and Fathom Events, after Guy Nattiv’s Golda, which was released with Fathom on August 23 in advance of its wider theatrical release. Bleecker Street is also behind the upcoming films Jules starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Mafia Mamma starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci.
Fathom has previously released other filmed musicals, including Bandstand,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bleecker Street has picked up U.S. rights to hit musical production Waitress: The Musical, from composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson, following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The distributor is teaming with Fathom Events for a December 7 nationwide release of the show, which was captured live onstage in 2021 during its long Broadway run.
Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie feature, Waitress: The Musical stars Bareilles as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert piemaker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, Jenna begins to find the courage to take a long-abandoned dream off the shelf.
The film was directed by Brett Sullivan, while Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus directs for the...
Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie feature, Waitress: The Musical stars Bareilles as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert piemaker stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, Jenna begins to find the courage to take a long-abandoned dream off the shelf.
The film was directed by Brett Sullivan, while Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus directs for the...
- 9/6/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Release marks second collaboration after Golda.
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to Waitress: The Musical following its Tribeca world premiere and will partner with Fathom Events on a December 7 nationwide release.
The content was captured live on stage in 2021 during the musical’s reprise on Broadway and stars composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles in the lead role.
Based on the 2007 film directed by Adrienne Shelly and starring Keri Russell, the musical follows an expert pie baker stuck in a small town and loveless marriage who enters a life-changing baking contest.
Brett Sullivan directed the film and Jessie Nelson is creative advisor.
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to Waitress: The Musical following its Tribeca world premiere and will partner with Fathom Events on a December 7 nationwide release.
The content was captured live on stage in 2021 during the musical’s reprise on Broadway and stars composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles in the lead role.
Based on the 2007 film directed by Adrienne Shelly and starring Keri Russell, the musical follows an expert pie baker stuck in a small town and loveless marriage who enters a life-changing baking contest.
Brett Sullivan directed the film and Jessie Nelson is creative advisor.
- 9/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Tituss Burgess will return to Broadway for a stint in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, playing the role of club owner “Harold Zidler” from Tuesday, October 10 through Sunday, December 17.
Eric Anderson will return to the role on Tuesday, December 19. The hit Moulin Rouge! has been playing at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre since 2019.
Burgess made his Broadway debut as ‘Eddie’ in Good Vibrations and has since played ‘Hal Miller’ in the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys, ’Nicely-Nicely Johnson’ in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls, and ’Sebastian’ in the original Broadway cast of The Little Mermaid.
TV audiences know Burgess best for his four seasons ’Titus Andromedon’ in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He received four consecutive Emmy nominations for the role, and he reprised the role in the Netflix interactive special Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting actor.
Eric Anderson will return to the role on Tuesday, December 19. The hit Moulin Rouge! has been playing at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre since 2019.
Burgess made his Broadway debut as ‘Eddie’ in Good Vibrations and has since played ‘Hal Miller’ in the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys, ’Nicely-Nicely Johnson’ in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls, and ’Sebastian’ in the original Broadway cast of The Little Mermaid.
TV audiences know Burgess best for his four seasons ’Titus Andromedon’ in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He received four consecutive Emmy nominations for the role, and he reprised the role in the Netflix interactive special Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting actor.
- 9/6/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In hindsight, it’s quite amazing that anyone could watch Adrienne Shelly’s final film as a director and see it as anything but a movie. It was a good one, a simple story about a small-town woman who falls pregnant by her abusive lover and complicates matters by having an affair with her gynecologist. Starring Keri Russell, the film was funny, romantic, frankly feminist and pulled no punches when it needed to, and its modest success of the box office made it all the more tragic that Shelly, murdered in her own apartment by a construction worker in 2006, would never make another.
Taking that and putting it on the Broadway stage was probably not on anyone’s bingo card, yet this production — directed by Diane Paulus with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, and book by Jessie Nelson — sails by, even though it adds 40 minutes of running time to Shelly’s slender story.
Taking that and putting it on the Broadway stage was probably not on anyone’s bingo card, yet this production — directed by Diane Paulus with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, and book by Jessie Nelson — sails by, even though it adds 40 minutes of running time to Shelly’s slender story.
- 6/14/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
I’m a huge fan of the slasher sub-genre, particularly of slasher movies that were released in the 1980s. I’ve tried to watch as many ’80s slashers as I could get my hands on, but now and then I’ll hear about one that has slipped through the cracks. One I haven’t seen yet is the 1987 film Night Screams – so I’m glad to hear that Vinegar Syndrome are giving the film a 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release. I’m definitely going to be watching this one soon… and if you’re interested in grabbing a copy of Night Screams, you can do so at This Link.
Directed by Allen Plone from a screenplay by Mitch Brian and Dillis L. Hart II, Night Screams has the following synopsis: High school football star David has just won a four-year scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, and – with his parents...
Directed by Allen Plone from a screenplay by Mitch Brian and Dillis L. Hart II, Night Screams has the following synopsis: High school football star David has just won a four-year scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, and – with his parents...
- 5/26/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
You've watched them fall in love on and off stage of some of Broadway's biggest shows, but now BroadwayWorld is letting you in on some of the sweetest moments between your favorite Broadway couples including Jenn Colella and Chilina Kennedy, Jessica Rush and Eric Anderson, Robyn Hurder and Clyde Alves, Laurel Harris and Rob Marnell, and Ginna Claire Mason and Eric Moffett.
- 2/14/2019
- by Monroe George
- BroadwayWorld.com
Prostitutes, once a staple of the Broadway musical, have been keeping a low profile in recent years. The old fantasy of sleeping with guys and making good money yielded long ago to real horror stories of exploitation, sexism, drug addiction and human trafficking. None of which has stopped Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton from turning their hit 1990 movie “Pretty Woman” into a Broadway musical, which opened Thursday at the Nederlander Theatre.
Marshall directed the movie and Lawton wrote the screenplay, and they’re credited this time around as writers of the book, which means “Pretty Woman” the musical is a too-faithful adaptation of the original.
They have made one small but important update. The heroine’s seamy occupation is acknowledged at the get-go by turning her first song into a heartfelt lament, “Anywhere but Here,” effectively delivered in country style by a strong-voiced Samantha Barks.
Also Read: 'Gettin' the...
Marshall directed the movie and Lawton wrote the screenplay, and they’re credited this time around as writers of the book, which means “Pretty Woman” the musical is a too-faithful adaptation of the original.
They have made one small but important update. The heroine’s seamy occupation is acknowledged at the get-go by turning her first song into a heartfelt lament, “Anywhere but Here,” effectively delivered in country style by a strong-voiced Samantha Barks.
Also Read: 'Gettin' the...
- 8/17/2018
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
When the 1990 movie comedy “Pretty Woman” catapulted Julia Roberts to stardom, it was widely reported that Disney and late director Garry Marshall had tweaked J.F. Lawton’s downbeat prostitute/john tale “Three Thousand” into a sumptuous rom-com, to the profit of all concerned. Its newest incarnation sanitizes the tale completely. With anything mature or sensual systematically removed, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” goes all-in on fantasy, casting two sizzling talents, Samantha Barks and Andy Karl, as bland, pretty people singing pretty Bryan Adams-Jim Vallance tunes with nothing much at stake. Stubbornly inconsequential, it’s a morally uplifting fairy tale of which everyone, young and old alike, can be skeptical.
The Lawton-Marshall libretto fundamentally sticks to the screenplay line by line, joke by joke. Multimillionaire corporate raider Edward Lewis (Karl) hops in a brand-new 1989 Lotus Esprit and, in an impulse maybe only Hugh Grant could explain, whisks streetwalker Vivian Ward (Barks) from Hollywood Blvd.
The Lawton-Marshall libretto fundamentally sticks to the screenplay line by line, joke by joke. Multimillionaire corporate raider Edward Lewis (Karl) hops in a brand-new 1989 Lotus Esprit and, in an impulse maybe only Hugh Grant could explain, whisks streetwalker Vivian Ward (Barks) from Hollywood Blvd.
- 8/17/2018
- by Bob Verini
- Variety Film + TV
Three-time Tony Award nominee Andy Karl, last seen on Broadway in Groundhog Day, has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming Pretty Woman: The Musical. He’ll play Edward Lewis (Richard Gere in the 1990 movie) opposite Samantha Barks’ Vivian (the role that made a superstar of Julia Roberts).
Karl, who won an Olivier Award for the London production of Groundhog Day and also starred in Broadway’s Saturday Night Fever, replaces Steve Kazee, who left the Pretty Woman production for family reasons, according to producers.
The new musical, which begins performances July 20 at the Nederlander Theatre, also stars Karl’s real-life wife Orfeh, a Tony nominee for Legally Blonde. Karl had seen the show in pre-Broadway workshops and the Chicago run.
“I always figured I’d be playing the part of ‘audience member’ for Pretty Woman,” Karl said. “When Paula Wagner and my longtime friend, Jerry Mitchell, asked...
Karl, who won an Olivier Award for the London production of Groundhog Day and also starred in Broadway’s Saturday Night Fever, replaces Steve Kazee, who left the Pretty Woman production for family reasons, according to producers.
The new musical, which begins performances July 20 at the Nederlander Theatre, also stars Karl’s real-life wife Orfeh, a Tony nominee for Legally Blonde. Karl had seen the show in pre-Broadway workshops and the Chicago run.
“I always figured I’d be playing the part of ‘audience member’ for Pretty Woman,” Karl said. “When Paula Wagner and my longtime friend, Jerry Mitchell, asked...
- 5/23/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The moment Samantha Barks smiles and sings near the beginning of this musical adaptation of the film “Pretty Woman,” we know things are going to be Ok. The sense that this show — not exactly a match with the #MeToo era — has missed its cultural moment never completely disappears but it does dissipate, becoming at least semi-irrelevant when confronted with Barks’ big personality and even bigger voice. She proves highly capable of sweeping us up, if not completely away, into this faithfully scripted (by the movie’s late director Garry Marshall and original screenwriter J.F. Lawton), blandly scored (by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance), capably but not imaginatively directed (by Jerry Mitchell) version of the 1990 mega hit that launched Julia Roberts into stratospheric superstardom.
Barks (Eponine in the film version of “Les Miserables”) plays Vivian Ward, the Hollywood Boulevard prostitute who melts the frozen heart of corporate raider Edward Lewis, played in the movie,...
Barks (Eponine in the film version of “Les Miserables”) plays Vivian Ward, the Hollywood Boulevard prostitute who melts the frozen heart of corporate raider Edward Lewis, played in the movie,...
- 3/29/2018
- by Steven Oxman
- Variety Film + TV
Bob Dylan: Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 (Columbia/Legacy)
If you are more than just a casual fan of Bob Dylan, you probably already know Greil Marcus’s famous opening line in his review of Dylan’s 1970 album Self Portrait in Rolling Stone. Just about any article I’ve read that has referenced the album at any length over the years has trotted out the quote -- as has everything I’ve read recently on Dylan’s latest installment (the tenth) in his ongoing Bootleg Series -- Another Self Portrait. I won’t repeat the quote here [You can Google it] but I will say that my initial reaction, while not as vitriolic as Marcus’s, was not entirely dissimilar.
At the time, I thought the album was a total (although not entirely unlistenable) train wreck -- a hodgepodge of folk, rock, country, blues, Tin Pan Alley, hokum, and even musical theater.
If you are more than just a casual fan of Bob Dylan, you probably already know Greil Marcus’s famous opening line in his review of Dylan’s 1970 album Self Portrait in Rolling Stone. Just about any article I’ve read that has referenced the album at any length over the years has trotted out the quote -- as has everything I’ve read recently on Dylan’s latest installment (the tenth) in his ongoing Bootleg Series -- Another Self Portrait. I won’t repeat the quote here [You can Google it] but I will say that my initial reaction, while not as vitriolic as Marcus’s, was not entirely dissimilar.
At the time, I thought the album was a total (although not entirely unlistenable) train wreck -- a hodgepodge of folk, rock, country, blues, Tin Pan Alley, hokum, and even musical theater.
- 9/9/2013
- by Jon Geffner
- www.culturecatch.com
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